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Mental health hotline calls double in 2020

03 Jan 2021

Suicide, relationship-related calls nearly tripled Alcohol-related calls go down   By Pamodi Waravita   The number of mental health interventions conducted via the 1926 national mental health helpline had doubled from its 2019 full-year figure in the first 11 months of 2020, jumping from 13,000 to nearly 26,000. Speaking to The Morning, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) consultant psychiatrist Dr. Pushpa Ranasinghe said the number of interventions totalled 25,965 in 2020, which is almost double the number of 13,092 interventions in 2019. “During the first lockdown period from March to June, we conducted over 9,000 interventions,” she said. 2020 was a year marred by unprecedented nationwide lockdowns resulting from the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. Ranasinghe revealed that the NIMH recorded 4,100 interventions during March 2020, with the earlier monthly average being around 1,500. “The increased number of mental health interventions is a direct result of the pandemic,” said Dr. Ranasinghe. She added that even without a lockdown, people are facing more financial and relationship problems during the pandemic, which can affect their mental health. Meanwhile, the NIMH has categorised 418 of these 25,965 interventions as related to “suicidal ideation”, an increase from the corresponding total of 152 in 2019. Likewise, interventions related to relationship problems increased to 1,756 in 2020 from 688 in 2019. However, Dr. Ranasinghe said the number of alcohol-related interventions were 377 by November 2020, compared to the total 460 interventions in 2019 – likely a result of decreased access to alcohol products due to lockdowns and economic hardship. Dr. Ranasinghe also said the total number of calls received to the helpline may have been double or triple the amount of interventions the NIMH conducted, but that they are unable to respond to all the calls they receive. The NIMH has received 619 text messages to the 1926 text-based helpline in the three months following its introduction in October 2020. “We saw a sharp increase in youth seeking help via text message during the period that the Advanced Level (A/L) examination results were released,” Dr. Ranasinghe said. She added that the 1926 text-based helpline is mostly used by 15-17-year-old youth seeking help on a range of issues, from relationship issues and sexual problems to stress-related problems during exams. Dr. Ranasinghe also added that the 1926 text-based helpline is more easily accessible to victims of domestic violence who are living with their abusers and wish to seek help privately without raising suspicion. The national mental health helpline is accessible via 1926 toll-free. The 1926-text based helpline is also available 24/7 to anyone seeking help.

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